Opp beat Andalusia 7-1 to split season series

Opp coach Michael Cassady had a plan to throw three pitchers against Andalusia on Thursday night.

He didn’t need to.

OHS sophomore Ethan Davis struck out five and allowed one run on four hits in seven innings to help lead the Bobcats to a 7-1 victory over the Bulldogs at AHS.

“We pitched well,” Cassady said. “He (Davis) did a good job pitching out of jams sometimes. We kept the ball down (in the infield) and made some defensive plays.”

The Bobcats (16-5) tallied 12 hits in the win, despite getting off to a slow start.

Andalusia shot out to an early lead and started the game on a good note with lead-off hitter Michael McCalman and Zach Ward hitting a single and a double, respectively to put runners on second and third.

Grayson Campbell then hit a sac-fly to score McCalman for the Bulldogs’ only run of the game.

Getting hits up the middle often and early are what Andalusia has been working on at the plate, Bulldogs coach Jonathan Rasberry said.

“We came out really focused I thought,” Rasberry said. “We had two real hard hits up the middle.”

After Campbell’s sac-fly, Andalusia (17-9) couldn’t get anything going as Quinton Maddox and Jud Rogers got out on a fly out and strikeout.

Opp tied the game kin the second inning, thanks to an RBI single from Brady Vidich, who went 2-for-4 for the Bobcats.

Davis singled in Trey Short in the third inning to help the Bobcats take a 2-1 lead with two outs in the frame.

Squaring up against the ball and plating runs was a key for OHS, Cassady said.

“We didn’t hit it just great, but we hit it with one out — we got some doubles and pushed some runs across,” he said.

After the second inning, AHS hit a dry spell, only getting one hit in the fifth from Daniel Henderson, who hit a single that ended up rolling into a double play.

“We didn’t execute what we needed to do to win the ball game,” Rasberry said. “I didn’t think the intensity was there, and again, we’re not a very good team when we don’t play intense.

“I thought we were a very selfish team in our approaches and the way we played the game,” he said. “That’s not how we need to play the game.”

In the fourth inning, Opp took a 4-1 lead when Jo Jo Jones hit an RBI single to score Vidich; and Short singled in courtesy runner Kyle Marshall.

Andalusia came back and didn’t allow a run to cross the plate in the fifth, and had a chance in the bottom half of the frame, but the double play took place.

“Their kid did a good job throwing strikes, and we didn’t do a very good job of hitting it to right field,” Rasberry said. “That’s why we had two double plays (one in the fifth and seventh innings), and a bunch of roll overs with a good pitcher.”

Opp added three runs in the sixth inning on two hits and two errors, but left three men on base, despite taking the big lead.

Jones doubled to start the inning, and Marshall scored on a sac-fly from Thomas Weed. Short came in on a bases-loaded walk and T.J. Register, who reached on a walk, scored on an error.

After the sixth inning, Cassady said he looked at how many pitches Davis threw and decided to leave him in because he was doing such a good job.

“He was 60-something to start the seventh inning,” he said. “When you get that, you’re going to already leave him out there, unless you get the ball up.

“He kept his pitch count down,” he said. “I was planning on going three guys. He had done such a good job — I wanted to let him have it.”

McCalman went 2-for-3 to lead AHS.

Short went 3-for-3; Russell Moseley went 2-for-3; and Jones went 2-for-4 to lead OHS.

With this win, the Bobcats split the season series with the Bulldogs.

Andalusia beat OHS 7-6.

Andalusia will be back in action on Monday to end the regular season against Red Level.

Opp is also back in action on Monday against Brantley at 3:30 p.m.